Cels Forum

Hi there!
Well, it finally came! I'd ordered a chibi-Shayla holding a frog
cell from Ash (hi Ash!) and it came in the mail today. It was 
a great price for a cel I've been wanting a long time. The fact 
that I already had the original background for that scene only 
made it all the sweeter! However, the cel was stuck to the 
pencil sketch something fierce. Given the price, the cel was 
still a really good deal, but I thought I would share my experience.

I have used the 'hair dryer' method I described in this forum before
to remove stuck cels from paper, but I have never attempted it on 
one so completely stuck as this one. I carefully applied heat to the back 
of the paper until it was quite warm to the touch and then I lifted the 
edge of the paper and moved the hair dryer back and forth on low speed, hot 
setting, aiming the air in between the cel and the paper. Gradually, it separated.
When it started seeming to not want to separate any more, I went back and 
warmed the back of the paper again. The cel came free, quite undamaged!

This is the method which I am told is used by animation professionals to remove 
cels from stuck paper. If you feel the utter need to remove a stuck cel from a sketch, 
this is the method I recommend.

I will warn that WHENEVER you attempt to remove a stuck cel there is danger of 
damaging the cel, so I never recommend removing a stuck cel if you would shoot 
yourself in the head if the cel was damaged.
However, for those who simply have to remove a stuck cel from paper, this method 
is my recommendation.

Good luck!
Ryocha